Ollie
by LTC
Summary: Zee and Ro find a new furry accomplice. Pure fluff.


Surgeon General's Warning: Large quantities of fluff in this fanfiction can lead to an advanced state of WaFF and may be hazardous to your health.  
  
Disclaimer: Ollie is mine. No one else is. Dammit, I wish TZP was mine!  
  
Zeta glanced out of the porthole to the street outside for what had to have been the fifth time in the last few minutes. Earlier, while Ro had been awake, he had kept the behavior to a minimum. Ro always said he was too jumpy, too protective. If she were awake now, she would sigh and tell him to "cool his circuits," a phrase that despite her explanations he didn't really understand.  
  
It would be pointless to explain to Ro that he couldn't help being cautious, it was in his programming to constantly be on the watch for intruders. Besides, he didn't need to recharge and he liked looking out. He wasn't sure if this would be considered fun, but he prided himself in knowing that despite how dangerous the streets could be after dark and despite how many NSA agents were looking for them, nothing was going to happen to them while he was standing watch. He liked knowing that he could protect Ro.  
  
Zeta smiled and walked away from the porthole and back to the car where Ro was curled up in the back seat. He felt badly that they couldn't get a hotel tonight, since he knew she really didn't like sleeping in the car. But although Ro complained, Zeta was fairly sure she didn't mind. Ro was used to this and she had seemed to like the car a lot when they bought it. Therefore, it made sense that she wouldn't mind sleeping there, Zeta reasoned.  
  
The night air was warm, but Zeta still wished he had a blanket of some sort to put over Ro, since she usually slept with one. He had seen people do this in movies, and the sleeping person usually appreciated it. He frowned, then put his hand on her back and created a big green holographic blanket. It fell over her body except for her head, which remained out as humans who were sleeping didn't like to have their head covered. Zeta nodded, pleased. She looked very peaceful sleeping there under his big blanket, and it didn't really matter that it wouldn't provide insulation as they were in southern Florida and it was very warm at night. He hoped she would appreciate it, but somehow he didn't think so.  
  
A small, whiny sound from somewhere outside distracted him. He realized that he hadn't been checking to see that it was safe! Extending his arm so that he could keep up the hologram over Ro, Zeta walked to the porthole in the abandoned parking garage that they were staying in. A thick grey haze hung over the dark night, partially obscuring the street from even Zeta's sight. The strange whining sound came again, and although Zeta now realized that it was coming from a 112 degree angle to his current position, he still couldn't see what it was.  
  
Curious, the synthoid began to walk over to the entrance of the garage. They had parked the car in a place that couldn't be viewed from the entrance, so Zeta knew he wouldn't be able to extend all the way. Finally, he retracted his arm and let the nice blanket disappear. It didn't matter much about the blanket, since he could conjure another one, but he had his apprehensions about leaving the garage.  
  
It could be that this noise was worth looking into, but it was also possible that Bennett or somebody else could come upon Ro while he was gone. Zeta thought about this, and decided that even if Ro was disturbed, she would be able to handle it, and the likelihood wasn't too high. "Cool your circuits," the synthoid said to himself with a smile.  
  
Zeta stepped outside into the hazy grey mist of the night. He couldn't even see the stars, which was a pity as he liked stars. There was also a warm breeze blowing, something that Zeta noted and in response made his long trench coat flutter and his dark hair toss around. There wasn't anyone to see him, of course, but these adjustments were automatic, or in human terms, a habit. His aural sensors detected the whining noise again, and he trudged slowly in that direction. He decided that the noise resembled the sounds a small animal would make. He didn't think a small animal was a threat, but he wanted to see it. Besides, he didn't need to go back- he was cooling his circuits.  
  
Finally, Zeta narrowed the noise to a small bush of flowers across the street from the garage. He peered inside and adjusted his light sensors, until he could make out the animal. It was an animal of the canine variety, seemingly just a puppy. Zeta reached into the bush, and the puppy squirmed about, trying to get away from him. Animals didn't like Zeta because his scent was so strange, but finally he managed to grab the puppy and held it in his sturdy hands.  
  
The puppy was rather small and very thin- its ribs were protruding out of its sides. It was male, and was covered with thick, coarse brown hair that was muddy and tangled. The puppy didn't have a collar, either, so Zeta decided that he was a stray. He had rather large brown eyes, and tiny little white teeth and a little pink tongue that showed whenever he whimpered. Now that he was being held he didn't struggle anymore, he seemed too tired. Zeta smiled. He liked this puppy.  
  
"Hello," he said brightly. "My name is Zee." The puppy cocked his head while Zeta spoke, but in response whimpered loudly, almost like a child crying. Zeta didn't know what was wrong with the puppy, but he wanted to make it stop crying. Most puppies he had seen liked to run around and play and wag their tail, but this puppy just closed its eyes and whined. He didn't want there to be something wrong with his puppy, but he didn't know how to fix it. He decided that Ro would know, so he had to take the puppy to her.  
  
"Ro! Ro!" said Zeta back in the garage. She only groaned softly in her sleep, but didn't wake up. He shook her back. "Ro! Get up!"  
  
"Wha?" she said, then quickly pulled herself up, rubbing her eyes. "What is it? Is Bennett here?" she said in a rushed tone, looking about for any signs of their enemy.  
  
Zeta grinned broadly and glanced at the lump in his coat where the puppy was tucked. "I found a puppy!" he said brightly. Ro stared at him before picking up her sneaker and chucking it at his head. It bounced off and he blinked, unperturbed.  
  
"Zee," she said exasperated. "If you're going to wake me up in the middle of the night, do it for something worth my time, okay?"  
  
"Oh, okay," he said. "But I didn't know puppies were a waste of time. And this one won't stop crying. I thought you could help?" he asked, hopeful that Ro would agree to assist him.  
  
Ro sighed and rested her cheek on her hand. "Well, let's see it."  
  
"Okay!" said Zee, and he pulled the puppy out of his coat and held him in front of Ro. Her sour expression faded to an expression he really hadn't seen Ro use before.  
  
"Oh. . ." she said in a tiny restrained voice.  
  
"Ro?" he asked, unsure. "Do you like him?"  
  
"He's so cute!" she cooed suddenly, looking at the puppy adoringly. Then, she noticed Zeta staring at her. "In. . .an annoying way," she added quickly. "I guess he's okay," she said finally. Zeta decided that this meant Ro liked him.  
  
"Why does he keep crying?" he asked Ro quickly, who was petting the puppy and looking over him. Ro glanced up at the synthoid. "He doesn't look too good, Zee. I'm guessing he hasn't had a decent meal in awhile. Plus, he kinda needs a bath, and he might be sick."  
  
Zeta looked at his puppy, concerned. "What should we do?" Ro scooped the puppy up in her arms, holding him against her chest like a baby. "Why don't you see if you can find some food? Something that won't make him sick. He looks a bit old for milk, but it might still do him good. Meat or kibble is best, but anything bland and not too hard should do for now. I'm going to that public restroom over there to clean him up. Meet me when you have some food."  
  
Zeta nodded and without another word left the garage to find food for the puppy. He knew it was 2:42 in the morning, so most shops would be closed. But he thought he had seen a liquor store driving in that boasted 24 hour service. Everything looked strange and distorted through the mist, but Zeta could still find his way around. He knew that the liquor store was near the water, so when the thick smell of salt filled the sensors on top of his head, he realized he was close. Sure enough, a bright yellow light shone through the clouds directing him to an open store. Zeta walked in through the doors, where an elderly man kept watch from the counter with beady blue eyes.  
  
"Out late tonight, aren't you?" asked the man carefully in a wheezy old voice. This was the best time of night for robberies, because hardly anyone was out and those that were usually had been drinking.  
  
"Actually, I'm out very early. Do you have any puppy food?" he asked. The man looked confused; this was one of the last questions he had been expecting. "Puppy food? No, I don't think so. . ." he said slowly.  
  
"Meat then?" asked Zeta. "Milk, too."  
  
The old man showed Zeta where milk was kept in frozen containers that held mostly alcohol. Zeta also found several varieties of meat, and chose hamburger patty. He hoped that was alright, Ro hadn't realized that since he had no sense of taste, Zeta didn't really understand how to tell if something was bland. But he paid for the food and went on his way. It didn't take long to get back to the garage, and then Zeta walked over to the small restroom that was inside. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to go in, so he knocked on the door.  
  
"Ro? I bought food."  
  
The door creaked open, and Zeta walked in to see Ro drying the whimpering puppy with paper towels. He looked better now- his fur was smooth, shiny, and looked like it would be soft. The puppy's nose began quivering when he smelled the food, so Zeta poured some milk into his hand and clenched it tightly. No milk would spill over or through his fingers. He put his hand in front of the puppy, and the small pink tongue lapped it up from his fingers expectantly. Then, he held out the hamburger. The puppy cocked his head, and Ro reached down and tore the meat into smaller pieces, but let Zee feed the hungry brown animal. The puppy wagged his tail furiously as it ate, and Zeta smiled. He noticed Ro smiling too.  
  
"Too bad we don't have a blanket," she mused. Zee glanced at her, but then realized she meant for the puppy. "It's very warm here, Ro," he informed her.  
  
"I know," shrugged Ro, "but it just sorta seems like when you get a puppy, you need to put him in a blanket. It's hard to explain."  
  
But Zeta nodded in comprehension and formed a small, holographic blanket around the puppy.  
  
"Perfect!" grinned Ro. "Hey, Zee," she said suddenly. "What's the puppy's name?"  
  
Zeta blinked. "I've just been calling him puppy."  
  
"Zee, you can't just call him puppy!" Ro exclaimed. Zee shrugged, not understanding what the problem was. Ro sighed. "You don't see me calling you 'synthoid,' do you?"  
  
"You could if you wanted to," said Zee.  
  
"Well, I don't want to. It's creepy. Besides, what happens when he grows up and isn't a puppy anymore? He'll still think his name is puppy, and he'll have all sorts of identity crises!"  
  
"Oh," said Zee, confused. "Well, then, name him."  
  
Ro shook her head. "He's your puppy. You name him."  
  
"Alright. . ." said Zee, scanning his memory banks for possible names. "How about. . .Eugene?"  
  
"Eugene?" said Ro incredulously. "You're naming your puppy Eugene? Why?"  
  
Zee shrugged. "It seemed like a good name."  
  
"You know what?" said Ro quickly. "Never mind, I'm going to name the puppy."  
  
"Are you sure?" asked Zee, wishing he knew what was wrong with Eugene. "I know many other names! There's Fredrick and Alfred and Eli and Peter and Jonathan and Jason and Ramon and Ali and Orrin-"  
  
"Zee, it's really okay," muttered Ro, but he went on listing random names. "-and Brett and Travis and James and Tyler and Sebastian and Christian and Oliver and Anthony and-"  
  
"Zee! Stop it!" she shouted. He stopped. Suddenly, Ro paused in thought. "Wait, what were those last couple?"  
  
"Sebastian and Christian and Oliver and An-"  
  
"Okay, stop there," Ro interrupted. "Oliver, I kinda like that one. Especially since he's an orphan."  
  
Zeta nodded, not seeing the connection but glad that one of his names was acceptable. "So the puppy's name is Oliver?" he asked.  
  
Ro nodded. "Or Ollie for short. Heh, I guess this means we're keeping him, doesn't it? I've never heard of federal fugitives keeping a pet puppy before, but oh well. . ."  
  
Zee looked down at the little brown puppy, who was now asleep in the blanket Zee had made. It seemed that the puppy, Oliver, had decided to like him now after being fed.  
  
"Do you think we should? It's going to be dangerous-"  
  
Ro grinned. "Hey, Zee, in case you haven't noticed, he's got nowhere else to go."  
  
"That's dangerous," Zee grinned, knowing what came next. "Good, we'll keep him. It'll be nice to have a puppy."  
  
Author's Note~ Well? What'd you think? I've always thought Zeta should have a puppy. It just seemed somehow. . .right. So I wrote a fic in which he has a puppy. Ah, well, 'tis the magic of fanfic. One can write all of the strange puppy fics one wants, and the most you can do is flame. But you won't do that, will you? Gimme a nice review, filled with all sortsa constructive criticism instead. Seriously, I want to know what you think. For once, it wasn't exclusively shippy, and no one died a gruesome death! Wow, go me! Heh, but I'm warning you, if you say something nice I might just be tempted to insert Ollie into future fics. Actually, I'll probably do it no matter what you say. I like the stupid puppy.  
  
Thanks for reading! Seriously, it makes my day. ^_^ 


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